Contributed by: G3nu1n3, at 11/23/2004 10:01:00 PM.

Users should begin moving their IT systems from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows during 2005, according to Bill Gates. Speaking at last week's IT Forum in Copenhagen, the Microsoft chairman said the transition would be smooth thanks to binary compatibility between the two processor architectures.

"This will provide the ability to mix 32-bit and 64-bit [with] a very simple recompilation for any application you might want to run, using the full 64-bit address base," said Gates.

With 64-bit Windows, "even the most expensive mainframe will not deliver the performance that industry-standard hardware running Windows will deliver," he added.